Southwest Michigan cop can be sued over wrong arrest

LAWTON, Mich. (AP) — A man arrested in his pickup truck while sleeping off a night of drinking has the green light to sue the officer who forced him out of his vehicle in southwestern Michigan.

A federal appeals court says Officer Jeff Largen in the village of Lawton isn’t entitled to immunity from a lawsuit for false arrest.

Largen arrested Candido Romo, who was sleeping in a pickup after bar-hopping in Van Buren County in 2010. The officer accused Romo of passing a truck on railroad tracks and arrested him for drunken driving.

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But Romo had an instant defense: He wasn’t driving the pickup and didn’t even have the keys. His brother had them.

Largen wasn’t impressed. The officer told Romo to “save it for the judge.” All charges were dismissed.